A ‘Monopoly’ Movie Passes Go, Will Collect At Least $200 at the Box Office

A movie based on the classic board game Monopoly has been in development in some way shape or form for many years. At one point, Ridley Scott was going to produce the movie, which would have really been something. Andrew Niccol — the writer of The Truman Show — had a screenplay as well. That never panned out, although the mind boggles at what that combination of artist and subject may have produced. I guess you could say the project remains stuck ... in jail. (I’ll see myself out. Can I just collect $200 on my way?)

Today, Monopoly has new life, according to Deadline. They report that Kevin Hart will now star in the movie. Tim Story will direct; he previously worked with Hart on the hit comedy Ride Along.

As for a plot, well, there’s not much:

Logline is being kept under wraps for now and a writer and shoot date have not been set. A previous version of the project centered on a young man from the game’s modest Baltic Avenue on a quest to make a fortune.

So there you have it. I would have made a movie about the bitter rivalry between neighbors Boardwalk and Park Place, which each wants to be seen as the most desirable property in Atlantic City. And then Mr. Moneybags (played by Hart, I guess) shows up with a scheme to build houses on each to raise their value — and then once he has a bunch of houses he levels those to build hotels. Man, this scheme could really work!